1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tabbed storage devices for storing one or more planar files, records, cds, dvds or electronic disk media.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacturers of electronic disk storage media such as a cd, dvd, video and mini-discs and other media formats have commonly resorted to packaging their product in paper or vinyl sleeves wherein the media disk or record is placed in a protective pocket of the sleeve without any means or intended means to allow for a method of a filing. Such a sleeve has a pocket which is opened at one end for inserting or removing articles. This type of sleeve suffers from the following disadvantages:
(a) the sleeve is too thin to write on the edges so as to identify the sleeve when laid on its side or when stacked on top one another or placed in a file amongst a large quantity of sleeves;
(b) to identify a sleeve, a user scribes the title on the face or back of the sleeve. Identifying a desired sleeve quickly can be a problem, for example when the sleeve is laid face down or stacked amongst others. The user must sort through multiple sleeves to identify the desired sleeve; and
(c) because these sleeves do not lend themselves to ease of accessibility, use of such sleeves in storage methods can be expensive and time-consuming where large volumes of articles need to be archived.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,219 discloses an index tab system for archiving and retrieving the record or disk wherein an index tab is a separate component which clips or adheres onto the disk or sleeve. The index tab system allows for a flexible indexing system which is removable, but suffers from the following disadvantages:
(a) the index component is a separate item and not a part of the sleeve itself;
(b) the index component can be easily lost, destroyed and/or difficult to affix to the sleeve, as well as awkward and slow to assemble; and
(c) the index component is an added cost and thus not part of the whole.
Fragile plastic jewel cases allow for indexing, and provide a degree of protection for their contents. By nature of the thickness of the edge of a jewel case, a user can scribe and view a title on the spine of the jewel case, allowing the user to file the jewel case according to the title on the edge of the jewel case itself. Jewel cases suffer from the following disadvantages:
(a) although jewel cases have thick enough spines to scribe a title on, they are cumbersome to archive because they take up a lot of space, and when placed in a drawer or file cabinet a user is unable to distinguish one title from another (especially if the file is too high above the visual surface or too far back in the drawer) because the user cannot read the spine edge where the title is scribed upon, especially if the jewel cases are perpendicular to the base of the file drawer and the viewer. Nothing protrudes from the jewel case to make the jewel case more visible and accessible;
(b) jewel cases are made of plastic, are fragile and prone to damage and breakage, especially when dropped;
(c) jewel cases are difficult to open and insert because of the extra steps required to open and close the lid and pop the disk out by pressing down on the locking mechanism that keeps the disk in place with one hand while removing the disk with the other hand; and
(d) jewel cases are expensive to manufacture and consists of three components: (1) retainer (2) lid (3) printed jacket to identify the contents stored inside.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,334 discloses the use of tabbed file folders for standard paper products, but does not address the unique storage system requirements of electronic disk media. This patent suffers from the following disadvantages:
(a) does not have a fixed pocket to store CDs, DVDs, Video Discs and other thin planar and electronic media objects; and
(b) too large and bulky.